The hunters in the trees made body shots mostly. Twice during the imbroglio in the brush the bear sat up and exposed his head and the men fired at it, but as he kept wrangling with the dogs, they thought they missed. This is the strange part of the story, for some of the bullets passed through the bear’s head and did not knock him out. One Winchester bullet entered an eye-socket and traversed the skull diagonally, passing through the forward part of the brain. A Grizzly’s brain-pan is long and narrow, and a bullet entering the eye from directly in front will not touch it. Wherefore it is not good policy to shoot at the eye of a charging Grizzly. Usually it is equally futile to attempt to reach his brain with a shot between the eyes, unless the head be in such a position that the bullet will strike the skull at a right angle, for the bone protecting the brain in front is from two and a half to three inches thick, and will turn the ordinary soft bullet. One of the men did get a square shot from his perch at Pinto’s forehead, and the 45-70-450 bullet smashed his skull.

The shot that ended the row struck at the “butt” of the Grizzly’s ear and passed through the base of the brain, snuffing out the light of his marvelous vitality like a candle. Then the hunters came down from their roosts, cut their way into the thicket and examined the dead giant. Counting the two shots fired the night before, one of which had nearly destroyed a lung, there were eleven bullet holes in the bear, and his skull was so shattered that the head could not be saved for mounting. Only two or three bullets bad lodged in the body, the others having passed through, making large, ragged wounds and tearing the internal organs all to pieces.

The skin, which weighed over one hundred pounds, was taken to Bakersfield, and the meat that had not been spoiled by bullets was cut up and sold to butchers and others. Estimating the total weight from the portions that were actually tested on the scales, the butchers figured that Pinto weighed 1100 pounds. The 1800- and 2000-pound bears have all been weighed by the fancy of the men who killed them, and the farther away they have been from the scales the more they have weighed.

TRAPPING

All furs are best in winter, but trapping can be carried on for at least six months of the year—really any time between the first of October and the middle of April. From the first of May until the middle of September, trapping is not pursued as the furs are worth little because the animals have, on the whole, shed their coats. As autumn approaches the new growth appears, and the fur becomes thick and glossy. By the middle of October most furs are in their prime, but the heart of winter is the best time for general trapping. The furs of the mink, muskrat, fisher, marten, and beaver are not in their perfect prime until this season. And all other furs are sure to be in good condition at this time as well.

SNARES

In the early days before the steel trap came into general use, the snare was used almost exclusively for the capture of the fur-bearers. However, deadfalls and snares are good traps for certain animals and it is well to know how to make and use them for one may sometimes see a good place in which to place a trap but may not have a steel trap along. In such cases the knowledge of how to construct a practical deadfall may be of value. It is true that many of the fur-bearing animals are too cunning to be captured by such a contrivance, but some of the most wary fall easy victims to the snare. Some of the most expert fox trappers use the snare in preference to the steel trap, but this number is comparatively small.

The Common Snare

The common snare is composed of three pieces, all to be cut from a shingle or thin board. The first should be about eight inches long and three-quarters of an inch in width. This is for the upright. An oblong mortise should be cut through this piece, one inch in length, and beginning at about an inch from the end of the stick. Three inches from the other end, and on one of the broad sides of the stick, a notch should be made.

The bait stick should be four or five inches long, one end fitting easily into the mortise, where it should be secured by a line, or smooth nail driven through so as to form a hinge on which it will work easily. On the upper side of this stick and two inches from the pivot, a notch should be cut, similar to that in the upright. The catch piece should be about two inches in length and beveled off to a flat edge at each end.

To set the snare, it is only necessary to find some stout sapling, upon which the upright stick may be attached to it close to the ground, lashed firmly around both. It is a good idea to cut slight grooves at each end of the upright for the reception of the lashings, in order to prevent slipping. Tie a strong piece of line around one end of the catch piece, knotting it on the beveled side. Cut the line about two feet in length and attach the other end to the tip of the sapling. Adjust the bait stick on its pivot. Now lower the catch piece and lodge the knotted end beneath the notch in the upright and the other end in the notch on the bait stick. Take care to set the catch pieces deftly in the notches, in order to insure sensitiveness. At about four inches from the catch piece, the wire noose should be attached and arranged in a circle directly around the bait. Back up the trap with a few sticks to prevent the bait from being approached from behind, and the thing is complete. By adjusting the drawstring so far as the upper end of the catch piece, the leverage on the bait stick is so slight as to require a mere touch to spring it.

The Ground Snare

For simplicity of construction, few snare traps compare. It is similar to the common snare, and also catches by the feet. This trap consists of three pieces. A catch-piece about three inches long, a bait stick of about six inches, and a stout crotch of proportionate size. Be careful that the bait stick is set fine and rests just beneath the tip of the catch-piece so that a mere touch on the bait will release it.

Arrange the noose as in the instance last described, and bait either as therein directed or with an apple or nubbin of corn, as our accompanying cut indicates. Always remembering that the noose should be sufficiently large to insure the bird must step inside of it in order to reach the bait.

STEEL TRAPS OF THE MOUNTAIN MEN

The steel trap was the principal device used by trappers, and possessed great advantages over all other traps. It is portable, sets easily and quickly, either on land or beneath the water; can be concealed with ease; secures its victims without injury to their fur, and by the application of the spring or sliding pole will most often prevent the captive from making his escape by self-amputation, besides placing him beyond the reach of destruction by other animals.

Notes on the Steel Trap

The jaws should not be too thin or sharply cornered. If the jaw is too thin or too sharp, it often severs the animal’s leg. At other times the leg is so deeply cut as to easily enable the animal to gnaw or twist it off. This is the common mode of escape with many animals.

The pan should not be too large. This is a very common fault with many steel traps and often defeats its very object. Where the pan is small, when the foot of the animal presses, it will be directly in the center of the snap of the jaw, and he is firmly secured far up on the leg. On the other hand, a large pan nearly filling the space between the jaws as the trap is set may be sprung by a touch on its extreme edge, and the animal’s paw is likely to be chopped off altogether by the forcible snap of the jaw.